Getting ready to mount up the winter tires again for the year... last year I just swapped them onto the stock rims, but the cost of swapping tires back and forth is a bit ridiculous.
So I'm thinking it's time to buy a second set of rims. The obvious choice is some steelies... but they're so ugly. Anyone have any other suggestions of cheap (stockish) wheels? Better yet... anyone who's bought rims want to sell their stockies in or around Vancouver?
Are there other vehicles that use the same size/bolt pattern as the X-Trail?
If it's just the look of the "steelies" that bothers you - - they're are lots of "sexy" looking wheel covers out there - - some of which even look like OEM wheels.
If you do get "steelies" you may want to consider any differences / implications with after-market (Universal) vs OEMs. I recall some of the members here who used the after-market ones last winter and had some difficulty in getting them off this past Spring.....
Cheers
__________________ 2006 Platinum Bonavista # 0001 May you always have love to share, health to spare and friends who care. .
Hm, maybe that's not a bad choice... go with steelies and if we just can't live with the looks, toss some wheel covers on.
Just how bad of a problem are we talking about with getting them off? Like hammer kind of bad... or blowtorch kind of bad? Is it widespread, or just one or two cases?
For me it was 3 ft. pry bar kind of bad.
I had to take it in somewhere to get them taken off.
Not sure what others have experieneced, but I don't believe it's a widespread problem.
Just how bad of a problem are we talking about with getting them off?
As I mentioned, the problem seems to have been with the after-market, universal fit steelies. And you can see already, some members had a very difficult time in getting them off...I've seen other posts with similar problems to Rockford's.
I purchased my steelies from the dealer (OEM Nissan ones) and had zero problem in removing them - - mind you they are more expensive from the dealer...
Cheers
__________________ 2006 Platinum Bonavista # 0001 May you always have love to share, health to spare and friends who care. .
It's not just aftermarket rims. I have an SE with 16" alloys. I had a flat around 20 000 km's, the rear right tire. I tried over and over to try and get it off. I'm too stubborn to call roadside assistance so I played with it for a long time. I even tried using WD40, a lot of it. I let it set in and then pulled and tugged with no luck. I finally resorted to hitting the stuck wheel with the spare tire. I hit it pretty hard and it didn't help. Finally I called roadside assistance.
They sent a tow truck. The tow truck driver tried hitting it with the tire, it didn't work. He was alot harder on it then me too, I couldn't hurt my baby After giving up with the tire he put his back to the truck and gave it 3 hard kicks with his heel. The last kick finally loosened it. It was hard to watch, and did leave a small scuff mark on the rim, but it finally came off!
I agree that it's not just after market rims I've experienced this with factory alloys rims as well.
This is what I've found , the center hole of the rim that sits on the hubs have a very close fit. The hubs are steel and get a build up of rust that doesn't allow the wheel to slide off.
Once you get the wheel off , take sand paper or a wire wheel and polish the center hub to remove the build up , then apply a thin coating of grease to the freshly cleaned area. This will prevent the rust build up .
I install winter tires mounted on after market steel rims every year and following this proceedure everytime have never had this problem since.
Thanks golfer. That's pretty much what I was going to try this year...intsead of grease though, I was thinking of using that silver anti-seize goop.
Also, just a thought re: rust. My steelies were used when I git them last year so maybe already a bit rusty around the hub.
Maybe the fact that OEM wheels seem not to be sticking has to do more with the fact that they're new (and not rusted much yet) than the fact that they're OEM.
Last edited by Rockford : Oct 25th, 2006 at 09:59 AM.
Once you get the wheel off , take sand paper or a wire wheel and polish the center hub to remove the build up , then apply a thin coating of grease to the freshly cleaned area. This will prevent the rust build up .
This explains why I did not have any difficulty - I applied anti-seize to the centre hub.
__________________ 2006 Platinum Bonavista # 0001 May you always have love to share, health to spare and friends who care. .
Thanks for the input everyone... I'll probably go aftermarket, and avoid the inevitable gouge from the dealership.
You won't have this problem tj80. The people who are having problems getting their steel wheels off are in colder climates where it snows for most of the winter. The roads are coated in sand and or salt for more than half the year. This contributes to the wheels sticking to the hub.
We see snow for maybe 3-7 days and our temp doesn't go below 12-15 degrees C and that is cold for us.
When you have your wheels changed over tell the tire shop about your concerns. They have this silver anti siezing paint that they can use.
I used to work for Kal Tire when I was going to college and the worst case I ever saw was on a Jeep Grand Cherokee with aluminum wheels. We had to leave one lug nut on loose so the wheel didn't fly off. Then we went to work on the back of the tire with an 8 lb wedged hammer. (This hammer was what we used to break the bead down on tractor tires.) It took several blows (20-30) to get it off. This guy had just moved here from Fort St. John.
After giving up with the tire he put his back to the truck and gave it 3 hard kicks with his heel. The last kick finally loosened it. It was hard to watch, and did leave a small scuff mark on the rim, but it finally came off!
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